Victorian Townhouse
This stunning Victorian style new build is nestled in a quiet street just a stone’s throw from the thriving commuter town of Richmond-upon-Thames in Surrey.
The outside of this three storey home oozes Victorian charm with its box sash timber windows and slate roof, but don’t be fooled by the traditional exterior of this house – inside lies a modern, sleek and stylish smart home.
Loxone Partner:Â DRC Electrical Services
Architect: Quad Architects
smart, seamless control
No-one wants to wait in all day for a delivery or tradesperson, but with a Loxone intercom, this is a thing of the past. A phone call notifies you when someone comes to the door, and you can see and speak to the person from wherever you are– at work, on holiday, on the golf course… no more waiting in.
Family Friendly Technology
The key emphasis for this project was creating a family home with technology that simply blends into the background. The first thing you notice when walking into the house is the oak floors and the double height living room, not the technology – at first glance, it appears that the inside this home is just as traditional as any other.
The subtle signs are all there, however, and begin before you’ve even stepped foot in the house- there’s a video intercom by the front gate, electronic sliding gates guarding the driveway, and even PV panels on the roof.
Smart Lighting
Rising energy costs in the UK meant that creating an energy efficient home was a top priority for this newly built home.
Inside, the lighting throughout the house is intelligently controlled using the switch on the wall, or via the Loxone app. Presence sensors make the lighting truly smart and ensure that lights are never left on when they don’t need to be.
Instant Atmosphere
The fireplace is the focal point of the living room, and together with the recessed LED mood lighting, creates a cosy, homely feel. Controlling the fireplace is a cinch too – a couple of taps on the app and you have an instant roaring fire- no kindling or firelighters needed!
Always Cosy Underfoot
Underfloor heating throughout the house ensures that the floors are always cosy underfoot. The underfloor heating, like the radiators and towel rails, can be adjusted for each room individually.
No Noisy Bathroom Fan
The temperature and humidity sensors in each bathroom are integrated with the extractor fan. The fan is automatically activated when the shower is run, and switches off as soon as the steam has cleared. In addition, the fan is on a timer- so if you get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, the fan will only come on if you’re in the bathroom for longer than five minutes, so as not to disturb you.
Architect’s Favourite
The spacious home cinema, located on the ground floor of the house, enjoys central HD TV distribution and superb surround sound. But that’s not all! Subtle downlights along the side of the room light the way to your seat and fade when the movie starts, whilst concealed RGBW LED strips provide ambient mood lighting for the ultimate cinema feel.
Multiroom Audio, Video & More!
The driving force behind the home cinema and mulitroom audio is the Loxone Music Server, whilst the multiroom video distribution throughout the house is looked after by an HDanywhere mHub. Finally, superfast fibre optic broadband ensures that this home’s always up to speed.
The ‘All Off’ Button
The ‘All Off’ button by the front door ensures that when the owner leaves, the lights and music are switched off throughout the house, the heating is lowered, and the burglar alarm is activated – and all by pressing one button. The handy magnetic iButton reader also ensures that the car keys are always to hand, too!
Coming Home
Upon arriving home, the magnetic electronic key fob is simply hung up on the reader to disarm the burglar alarm, bring the lights and heating on, and turn on the music. If the children arrive home from school before you, they can use their own iButtons to disarm the burglar alarm and let you know they’re home via a text from the Miniserver.
Making The Most Of The Sunshine
This townhouse has its own photovoltaic panels. With the help of the Miniserver, the new owners can optimise how this ‘free’ electricity is used: so when the sun decides to shine, the electricity produced can be used to heat the hot water tank.